The Anaheim Ducks Sign Defenseman Andrej Sustr To A One-Year Deal

The Anaheim Ducks announced Thursday the acquisition of another defenseman, Andrej Sustr. The addition of Sustr to the blueline could be the missing piece Anaheim needs to repair the crippled and pretty much non-existent third defensive pairing.

Last season was truly an eye-opener to how defective the Anaheim Ducks third pairing really was. Don’t get me wrong, I have tremendous respect for both Francois Beauchemin and Kevin Bieksa. They have sacrificed their blood, sweat, and tears for this team. However, the unfortunate news is that they were both already significantly past their prime.

It is high time for the Ducks to move in a new direction. With the newest acquisitions, it is clear that Bob Murray is on the same page. He barely let the ink dry on Luke Schenn’s contract before adding another veteran defenseman to the flock.

Of course, with any new acquisition, there are always concerns. It is especially difficult when the General Manager of a team is as tightlipped as Murray. There are definitely benefits to having a GM who isn’t willing to discuss things until they are in writing. The risk of the fans being stunned by false hope is minimized. However, we’ve acquired a number of new players and we still have no insight into Murray’s thought process.

There is a possibility that we may not know GMBM’s plans until the Ducks take the ice opening day. If you’re anything like me, the lack of insight into Murray’s plan is killing you just a little bit. Our site expert, Ed Stein, recently took a deep dive into explaining Bob Murray’s big disconnect. Even in the midst of the discouraging inconsistency, we can still take the glass half full approach. We must remember that GMBM is doing what he can with what is available.

One thing we can be hopeful about is the newest addition to the Ducks blueline. On Thursday, the Anaheim Ducks announced that they had signed former Tampa Bay defenseman, Andrej Sustr, to a one-year $1.3M contract.